JOIN USFor 15-year-old Mala, a student of Govt Tamil High School on Adi Kabir Ashram Road, the SSLC results brought dejection and gloom after she learnt of her failure in a few subjects.
On Thursday, she checked the results on the internet and returned home, looking dejected. On Friday morning, when her construction worker-parents went for work around 9:30 am, she allegedly tied a scarf (dupatta) around her neck and hanged from the pipe of the ceiling of her house in Seethappa Layout, Hebbal.
The incident came to light when the parents returned for lunch around 2 pm. Her father, Shekhar, hails from Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu. "When she came back, she was questioned about the results. Although she was reprimanded lightly for her failure, we still supported and encouraged her," Mala's uncle Murugan told Deccan Herald.
The case of 19-year-old Dhanashekar who failed in PUC II Commerce exams was not different. He allegedly hanged himself with a piece of cloth from the ceiling fan of his house in Ulsoor here at 4 pm on Thursday.
Dhanashekhar, a student of Cathedral College on Richmond Circle learnt about his failure after checking the results on the internet. His suicide came to light after his elder brother Sridhar came back home around 4:30 pm. Although Dhanashekar was immediately taken to the Lakeside Hospital, he was declared brought dead.
Both Sridhar and B Balaraju, Dhanashekhar's father, are washermen, whereas his mother is a domestic worker, the police said. In another incident, Kavya (16) , who failed in the SSLC examination, reported to have ended her life in T C Palya in K R Puram on Thursday night.
She hailed from Muvattur village in KR Nagar taluk in Mysore district. Kavya had come to her aunt's house to spend holidays. She called up her parents and informed them that she had failed. She was found dead when her aunt, a garment factory worker returned home, said the police. Five students have committed suicide so far in 2010.
A class X student of Clarence High School in Frazer Town, Priyan Sheth, committed suicide by hanging herself at her house in Banaswadi on February 25 reportedly due to fear of preparatory exam. A second year PUC Science student, Manisha ended her life by hanging herself at her residence in Malleswaram on March 25 on the day when Biology subject was scheduled.
Lack of bonding
"Lack of adequate parental bonding is the major cause for the increasing trend in the number of students committing suicide due to testophobia. Pressure from parents is also causing such deaths,” said Dr Ajit Bhide, noted psychiatrist at St Martha’s Hospital.